Friday, August 11, 2017

The Kinder Morgan pipeline is goingto be one of the NDPs first political battles

Yesterday's announcement by the governing NDP that they would be securing the services of a legal team to try and stop the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline is giving the opposition Liberals an early talking point, with Skeena's MLA Ellis Ross taking the lead in challenging that NDP position.

At a new conference held on Thursday, George Heyman the provinces Environment and Climate Change Strategy Minister, along with Attorney General David Eby outlined the government's position on Kinder Morgan.

“We are committed to fighting for B.C.’s interests and it is government’s desire to seek intervenor status in legal challenges to federal approval of the pipeline expansion and increased oil tanker traffic off B.C.'s coast,” ... “Mr. Berger will provide legal advice to government on the options for participation in legal challenges, and those hearings are scheduled to begin in federal court later this fall.” -- Attorney General David Eby on Kinder Morgan

Among the tools that the NDP plan to use, will be the services of Thomas Berger a long serving legal mind on issues of First Nations affairs in Canada and a former leader of the NDP, he will serve as external counsel to the government as part of their legal action related to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion plans.

The announcement to set in motion the legal challenge to the planned expansion quickly caught the attention of Skeena's Liberal MLA Ellis Ross, a former Chief Councillor with the Haisla Nation.

Mr. Ross who is serving as the Liberal's natural gas and petroleum resources critic outlined his concern over the message that the NDP is sending to investors in the energy sector.

Speaking to Mike Smyth of the Vancouver Province, who was hosting the CKNW"s Simi Sara show today, Ross expressed his shock and dismay offered up the view that the NDP were now sending a message that even if an energy proponent achieved all its benchmarks and regulatory approvals, there is no guarantee that the NDP government will respect that process and allow a project to be built.

During the course of his interview with Smyth, Ross offered up a range of observations on First nations concerns in addition to the theme of rights and titles, as well as putting some focus on the impact of NDP decisions on economic growth for the province and the message that it is sending out beyond B.C.'s borders.

"I can't believe that they have run out of tools so quickly, that they are going to use First Nations as a tool to stop a project in BC ... to use consultation as a reason, that's a very vague general reason, you're not going to get 100 per cent consensus on any project. when you're talking about rights and title." -- Ellis Ross speaking to Mike Smyth on CKNW Thursday

Skeena MLA Ellis Ross on the NDP's Kinder Morgan announcement

You can review Mr. Ellis's full interview with Smyth from the CKNW audio portal, starting at the 12:17 point from the noon hour portion of the Thursday August 10 version of the show.

Also weighing in on the discussion over the NDP's legal moves was interim Opposition Leader Rich Coleman, who observes in a statement released today that British Columbians should be concerned that their government is spending tax dollars to stop a project that not only boosts British Columbia's local economies but would also be of benefit for the rest of the country.